UFC

KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV has put aside his near decade-old feud with Conor McGregor to wish his former rival well for the future.

Nurmagomedov and McGregor, 36 and 37, respectively, took part in the biggest grudge match and PPV fight in UFC history back in October 2018.

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The blood feud didn’t end when ‘The Notorious’ was submitted in the fourth round of their UFC 229 showdown in Las Vegas.

McGregor has fired several shots the Russian’s way over the years and has often accused him of running away from a rematch with his retirement.

Nurmagomedov has seldom spoken about his old rival but is aware of all the legal troubles he’s had in recent years.

And the Dagestani recently revealed he hopes McGregor can get on the straight and narrow, albeit without mentioning his name.

During a recent Q&A event in New York, Nurmagomedov said: ““I don’t wanna mention his name.

“This is punishment… The most beautiful part of this is Allah always give the chance to come back.

“We always have in this world the chance to come back, and this is the most beautiful thing.

“It doesn’t matter how you’ve been, Allah is gonna give you a chance always to come back. I think he has a chance.”

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Nurmagomedov believes McGregor turning his life around would be a story which could inspire people across the globe.

The former undefeated and long-reigning lightweight champion said: “He has to change how he is living.

“Why am I talking about this? If he’s gonna change, he can change with him so many other lives too.

“That’s why I wish him to change himself. If he’s not gonna change, it will be punishment all his life.”

McGregor has only fought three times since losing the biggest fight in UFC history.

The Irishman got back in the win column against Donald Cerrone in January 2020 before suffering back-to-back stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier the following year.

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McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Poirier four years ago as injury scuppered his comeback clash with Michael Chandler last July.

The UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion is hellbent on returning to the octagon and recently re-entered the promotion’s testing pool.

If McGregor fights again, his next outing will be his first since he was found civilly liable for having assaulted Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

McGregor appealed the verdict turned in at Dublin’s High Court but lost his bid to overturn the civil verdict late last month.

Reinier de Ridder survives a brutal knockdown to win by split decision against Robert Whittaker in the main event at Etihad Arena in the UAE.

Reinier de Ridder secured the biggest win of his Octagon career at UFC Abu Dhabi, narrowly securing a hard-fought split decision over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at the Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates.

De Ridder (21-2) earned his third win of 2025 by defeating the Australian by split decision; two of the three judges scored the 84kg (185-pound) bout 48-47 for de Ridder, while a third had it 48-47 for Whittaker.

“I don’t want to fight like this [Whittaker], man, this guy was too tough,” de Ridder said in a post-fight interview on Saturday. “I expected to take him down. He was so tough, so durable. Heavy f****** hands.”

The Dutch fighter had to survive a brutal knockdown in round three when Whittaker dropped him with a right hand to the chin in the opening minute.

De Ridder managed to survive the attack, and consolidated his overall superiority in strikes – de Ridder landed 169 in total, compared with 100 for Whittaker, according to official UFC statistics – and recovered to win the final two rounds by wearing down the 34-year-old with repeated knees to the body and constant grappling.

Throughout the five-round fight, there was little to separate the pair. When the final bell sounded, the split decision reflected the closeness of the contest.

De Ridder’s victory was his fourth Ultimate Fighting Championship career victory. Whittaker (27-9) has now lost two straight and three of his five most recent fights.

Following his victory, de Ridder, ranked 13th heading into the Whittaker fight, called for a title shot against the winner of the middleweight championship bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16.

“I want to finish a guy in the first round, so maybe it would be better if I fought Khamzat [Chimaev] or Dricus [Du Plessis]. Give me my title shot.”

In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan defeated Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns.

In the middleweight match, Shara Magomedov bounced back from his first professional loss, which came against Michael Page in February, to win over Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges.

Whittaker is a former UFC middleweight champion who has won 17 of his 23 fights since joining the promotion in 2012.

He is currently fifth in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, demonstrating sporting longevity at the top which is matched by few.

Although Whittaker says regaining the title – which he lost to Israel Adesanya in 2019 and is now held by Du Plessis – remains a goal, it his not his biggest driver any more.

“I’ve got nothing to prove, there’s just things that I’m working for. I’m leading by example for my kids and any other athlete that wants to look up to me,” says Whittaker.

“I’ve been in the game so long, what drives me to be better and push as hard as I do, is the kids.”

De Ridder is fighting in only his fourth UFC bout after joining the organisation last year.

He is 34 like Whittaker, but has spent much of his career in fellow MMA promotion One Championship, where he is a former middleweight and light-heavyweight champion.

“De Ridder is going to be looking to pressure me and take me down to the ground and make me uncomfortable,” said Whittaker.

“I want to get my hands on him and hope for a quick one but I’ve been training for a 25-minute slugfest.”

Justin Poirier couldn’t secure a dream sendoff in final fight of his 16-year storied UFC career, losing to Max Holloway.

The trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier may not have been a microcosm of their first two encounters, but it delivered an electrifying final 15 seconds when Holloway and the retiring Poirier traded blows in the fifth round.

The result was a victory for lightweight Holloway by unanimous decision on the three judges’ cards – 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 – at UFC 318 in New Orleans on Saturday night.

Holloway (27-8 MMA) was classy in victory against Poirier, as he had lost the first two fights of the series before returning the favour in Louisiana native Poirier’s last mixed martial arts bout.

“The baddest man alive, bro,” said Holloway, 33. “Give it up for Dustin Poirier.”

A first-round knockdown from the Hawaiian set the tone early as Holloway nearly finished Poirier (30-10), but his 36-year-old opponent persevered.

By the fourth round, Poirier had little energy left but admitted post-fight that he was impressed that the former featherweight champion Holloway’s striking was still as sharp as ever. According to the final stats on the broadcast, Holloway outlanded Poirier 113-99 in significant head strikes.

“I thought he was going to be in here cracking a little bit harder, which he was,” Poirier said of Holloway. “This guy is tough to deal with when he’s in front of you. He’s slick. He’s crafty. He’s fast. He’s the [BMF] champ. I got nothing but respect for Max, man. He’s one of the good guys.”

Holloway made his first defence of the “BMF” title a successful one since winning it last April at UFC 300. It is unclear what direction the belt takes, as it is not associated with a division and has been used infrequently since November 2019.

In earlier matches, Paulo Costa of Brazil got back in the win column with a unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov, utilising his boxing to sweep the cards 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. Costa (15-4) remains in the middleweight title picture, while Kopylov (14-4) has won his last two fights.

The next two fights also saw another string of decisions, with welterweight Daniel Rodriguez outlasting Kevin Holland despite a late rally from Holland, nearly finishing him in the third round with strikes. The cards read 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, as Holland (28-14) was another betting favourite at the expense of Rodriguez (20-5).

Patricio Pitbull earned his first UFC victory with a win by unanimous decision over featherweight Dan Ige by identical 29-28 scores. Pitbull’s wrestling was too much for Ige, who entered the fight having lost two of his last three fights. Pitbull (37-8) last fought in April at UFC 314, where Ige (19-10) earned a win on the same card.

UFC 318’s pay-per-view got under way with lightweight Michael Johnson earning a unanimous decision in an upset of Daniel Zellhuber. The 39-year-old Johnson (24-19) was a significant underdog entering the fight but won the cards with matching 29-28 scores. A second-round knockdown swung the fight in Johnson’s favour, as Zellhuber (15-3) has now lost back-to-back outings.

One of the most anticipated fights of the year takes place on Saturday as Max Holloway takes on Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Hawaii’s Holloway defends his symbolic BMF title in the headlining bout at the Smoothie King Center, while home favourite Poirier will bring the curtain down on his magnificent career.

Former interim lightweight champion Poirier, 36, has won 21 of his 31 UFC bouts and is regarded by many as the best fighter to never win an undisputed title.

His fight with Holloway marks the third time the pair have met, with Poirier winning the previous two encounters.

“It feels surreal but it’s the right time. I don’t want the sport to chew me up, I want to walk away, I don’t want it to retire me,” said Poirier.

“We’ve fought at different times as different men and each fight has been so different. It’s exciting. Max is a legend, [a] hall of famer, and a good person so fighting him for the last one seems poetic.”

Holloway is starting the next chapter of his distinguished career by moving up to lightweight permanently after defeat by Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title in October.

“It sucks it has to be Dustin but this is his last dance and I’m here to play spoiler,” said Holloway.

Former UFC champion Randy Couture suffered severe burns and other injuries Tuesday when he crashed the car he was driving during practice rides at a racetrack near Kansas City, Mo.

The 62-year-old retired fighter and former Army drill sergeant was airlifted to a burn center and remained there as of Wednesday morning. He is expected to recover.

“If you know anything about Randy — he’s a freak of nature and will survive this like everything else,” Couture’s longtime manager and attorney Samuel Spira said in an email Wednesday afternoon.

No further updates on Couture’s condition will be issued until Thursday, Spira said.

TMZ was the first to report about Couture’s crash and his injuries, which include first- and second-degree burns, trauma injuries and smoke inhalation. The car he was driving was completely wrecked, TMZ reported, and it is unclear what caused the accident.

A state champion wrestler at Lynnwood High School in Washington state, Couture continued in the sport while in the Army in 1982-88 and at Oklahoma State, finishing second in the NCAA Division I championships in 1991 and 1992. He was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic team three times (1988, 1992 and 1996) and a semifinalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials.

Couture went on to become a mixed martial arts superstar, becoming a six-time UFC champion in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions and was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2006.

More recently, Couture has become involved with hot rod racing. Scag Racing announced in April that Couture would drive for the team in the NHRA’s Pro Mod program starting later this year.

LAS VEGAS — Ilia Topuria continued his ascension up the pound-for-pound ladder with a major statement via a vicious first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship Saturday night at UFC 317.

Topuria used a sharp right hand to set up a devastating left hook that dropped Oliveira to end the bout at the 2:27 mark of the opening round, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the announced crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.

“I always say I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts,” said Topuria, who closed a -400 favorite at BetMGM sportsbook.

Topuria (17-0), who now has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, moved up to the 155-pound weight class following a successful campaign in the featherweight division last year. He claimed that belt with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and defended his title by finishing Max Holloway in the third round of an October bout in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Topuria, who came in ranked fourth on UFC’s pound-for-pound list, joined nine others who have held a UFC belt in two weight classes. He is the first undefeated fighter to become champion in two UFC divisions.

“I think tonight was his big night,” UFC CEO and president Dana White said. “We have a star on our hands.”

Oliveira (35-11), who has the most finishes in UFC history, was hoping to become the first fighter to win the lightweight belt on separate occasions.

Fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett was in the audience and summoned to the ring, where a heated exchange led to Topuria shoving the eighth-ranked contender and igniting a rivalry from years ago.

“If you’re ready, I’m here,” Topuria shouted to Pimblett before he entered the ring.

White wasn’t happy with Pimblett getting in the ring, knowing the history of bad blood between the two.

The two have been at odds for some time, after they came to blows when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria’s head in 2022.

“That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that,” Pimblett said to Topuria. “But you will never knock me out.”

Replied Topuria: “I’m going to submit you.”

In the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) successfully defended his belt by applying a rear-naked chokehold to defeat Kai Kara-France (25-12) at the 1:55 mark of the third round.

It marked the second time the fighters met, nine years after their quarterfinal clash on the reality show “The Ultimate Fighter,” also won by Pantoja, but by unanimous decision.

Pantoja, who closed a -250 favorite and extended his win streak to eight fights, won the title two years ago when he beat Brandon Moreno by decision, and has now defended his title successfully four times.

Ilia Topuria celebrates after defeating Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317 Saturday in Las Vegas.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

The 35-year-old Brazilian was joined in the ring after his victory by No. 12 Joshua Van, who put on a show of his own.

Van (15-2-0) defeated No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (17-8-0) in a slugfest in which both fighters displayed incredible boxing skills. Van, who closed a -120 favorite, used an overhand right to drop Royval before closing out the bout with a severe ground-and-pound to secure the unanimous decision.

The 419 combined significant strikes landed were the third most in a UFC fight, and the most in both a three-round bout and a featherweight clash.

Moments after Pantoja’s win, Van challenged Pantoja with both standing nose to nose before exiting the octagon.

Other matches from the main card:

In a lightweight bout, No. 9 Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) survived a first-round knockdown to defeat No. 11 Renato Moicano (20-7-1) via unanimous decision.

In a bantamweight battle, Payton Talbott (10-1-0) used a much-improved ground game to register a unanimous decision over Felipe Lima (14-2-0).

Ramirez writes for the Associated Press.

Topuria delivers on his promise to win via first-round knockout after moving up in weight to fight Oliveira.

Spain’s Ilia Topuria scored a stunning first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira to claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC 317, with Alexandre Pantoja securing a third-round submission win over Kai Kara-France to retain the flyweight title in the co-main event.

Former featherweight champ Topuria announced in February that he was going to step up to the 155-pound (70kg) division to fight for the belt vacated by former champ Islam Makhachev’s move up to the welterweight division.

Standing between him and the title on Saturday evening was 35-year-old Brazilian former lightweight champ Oliveira, who briefly brought his vast experience to bear before being defeated.

After a dominant run at featherweight, which saw him move to 16-0 as a professional, Topuria, who was born in Germany to Georgian parents, looked small in the cage compared with Oliveira, but he defended well against the Brazilian’s grappling before showcasing his striking power.

Oliveira, who was stripped of the lightweight belt in May 2022 when he missed weight for a defence against Justin Gaethje, looked good during a brief exchange on the mat, but Topuria disengaged to bring the fight back to the feet, and shortly afterwards, Oliveira’s evening ended.

The 28-year-old stunned Oliveira with a crunching right hand and followed it up with a left hook that sent Oliveira crashing to the mat. His eyes glazed as his back hit the canvas and Topuria fulfilled his pre-fight prediction of a first-round knockout win.

“I already said it – I represent the new generation of the mixed martial arts – this is the next level of the game. This is the next thing, and this is what I represent,” Topuria said in a post-fight interview.

“I did exactly what we had planned: lot of jabs, right hand, left hook, and boom – his lights were out.”

In the co-main event, Brazil’s Pantoja dominated New Zealander Kara-France before taking his back and locking in a rear naked choke 1 minute and 55 seconds into the third round to defend his flyweight crown.

Elsewhere on the main card, Joshua Van beat Brandon Royval via unanimous decision at flyweight, while Beneil Dariush beat Renato Moicano via unanimous decision in their lightweight bout, and Payton Talbott defeated Felipe Lima via unanimous decision at bantamweight.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones did not retire to avoid fighting Tom Aspinall, says Ilia Topuria.

Britain’s Aspinall was upgraded from interim to undisputed heavyweight champion this week after Jones, 37, announced his exit from the sport.

Jones’ retirement followed seven months of the American not committing to fighting 32-year-old Aspinall in a unification bout.

Spain’s Topuria, who faces Brazilian Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title at UFC 317 in Las Vegas on Saturday, says Jones did not “duck” a fight with Aspinall.

“No, no, no, no, no. Jones fought the best of all time. In the last 10 years he fought the best fighters in the world. He’s not ducking anyone,” Topuria told BBC Sport.

“I think that he could retire whenever he wants. He has done amazing things in the sport. He’s let’s say, the best to ever do it. So I think he took a good decision. He’s the GOAT [greatest of all time].”

South Korea’s Ko Seok-hyeon beat Welshman Oban Elliott via a unanimous 30-27 decision at the UFC Fight Night in Baku, Azerbaijan on Saturday.

Ko – making his UFC debut – produced a dominant display featuring several submissions throughout the three rounds, with the 31-year keeping Elliott grounded for long periods.

Elliott, nicknamed ‘The Welsh Gangster’, has now suffered his first defeat since making his UFC debut in February 2024.

He was originally set to fight on 31 May at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas against Ramiz Brahimaj.

That bout was cancelled because of visa issues, but the UFC moved swiftly to keep the 27-year-old active, rescheduling him for this weekend’s card.

The Welshman entered the contest with a 3-0 UFC record thanks to a knockout win over Bassil Hafez at UFC 309 in November and unanimous decision victories over Preston Parsons and Val Woodburn.

Elliott trained across Europe with some of the sport’s elite fighters to prepare for the bout.

But it was not sufficient against the opponent known as ‘The Korean Tyson’, who came into his UFC debut with an impressive 11-2 record.

Merab Dvalishvili has effortlessly defeated Sean O’Malley in the main event of the Mixed Martial Art’s (MMA) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 316 night in New Jersey, United States (US), securing a third-round modified choke win in their rematch to retain the bantamweight championship.

With United States President Donald Trump watching from cageside on Saturday, Dvalishvili (win-loss record of 20-4 MMA) emphatically displayed his wrestling base to tire out the former champion and make an argument as one of the sport’s best bantamweights, perhaps of all time.

Dvalishvili, who won at 4:42 of the third round for his 13th consecutive victory, said he would welcome his next title defence against Cory Sandhagen (win-loss record of 18-5 in MMA), a winner of four of his last five fights.

“You’re the man, let’s go,” Dvalishvili said, indicating that he would be interested in fighting Sandhagen next.

O’Malley confirmed the loss is a minor setback, reassuring of a steady return. “100 percent, thank you guys for coming out,” he said.

The women’s bantamweight title changed hands in the co-main event, as Kayla Harrison submitted Julianna Pena with a second-round kimura.

Harrison and Pena embraced in the Octagon afterwards, showing utmost class for one another after Harrison controlled every aspect of the fight. Harrison said during her post-fight interview that her weight cut was so draining on Thursday night that she “wanted to quit”, but it would have been a mistake in her eyes, given that most fighters in MMA do not win a UFC title.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt fell short against Raoni Barcelos in a lacklustre affair by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.

In middleweight action, Mansur Abdul-Malik earned a technical decision over Cody Brundage 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Abdul-Malik nearly had a third-round total knockout 36 seconds in, but an accidental clash of heads changed the direction of the fight, thus needing the judges to intervene.

Later, at UFC Fight Night in Atlanta, Kamaru Usman returned to winning ways as he defeated Joaquin Buckley 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 in a unanimous decision in the main event.

“Those knockouts will come,” Usman said after his win. “I just needed to get that monkey off my back.”

The first two rounds of the headline welterweight attraction saw Usman (win-loss record of 21-4 in MMA) pitch the equivalent of a shutout, effortlessly taking Buckley (win-loss record of 21-7 in MMA) down and utilising his ground-and-pound to outstrike the St Louis, US, native 16-0 in the significant strikes category.

Round 3 started strong for Buckley as he found his striking range before Usman achieved his third takedown in four attempts. Round 4 was primarily on the feet, as Buckley landed his best combinations of the fight but could not secure a comeback finish. Usman took Buckley down again, securing the back mount position as the round ended.

Round 5 saw both men trade blows, but it was too little, too late for Buckley, who had a six-fight unbeaten streak snapped. It was Usman’s first win since he held the title in November 2021.

Buckley was gracious in defeat, suffering his first loss at welterweight.

“We’re just getting started, baby,” Buckley said. “We’ll be back.”

The co-main event also needed the cards, as former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas earned a highly competitive unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 over Miranda Maverick.

In middleweight, Edmen Shahbazyan nearly finished Andre Petroski with a would-be third-round total knockout before walking away with a unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. The win marked Shahbazyan’s first stretch of back-to-back wins since 2019, his first decision win since 2018.

The UFC’s schedule goes international with a Fight Night instalment a week from Saturday in Azerbaijan, headlined by a light heavyweight non-championship five-rounder between former champion Jamahal Hill (12-3 MMA) and ex-title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr (14-6 MMA).

UFC president Dana White says he cannot stop Jon Jones from retiring, despite the American having “agreed” to fight Tom Aspinall.

White was responding to the social media activity of the UFC heavyweight champion, who suggested he was retired before calling out ex-UFC fighter Francis Ngannou.

Speaking at the UFC 316 post-fight news conference, White said 37-year-old Jones had said nothing about retiring to him and that he was only interested in matching him with Aspinall.

“Tom Aspinall is the guy. If the guy wants to retire and doesn’t want to fight, there’s nothing you can do,” White said.

“I didn’t want Khabib [Nurmagomedov] to retire, I thought [Daniel Cormier] should’ve stayed in it longer, so it’s none of my business.

“I’ll do what I can to make the fight, if we can, if he’s talking that crazy, I didn’t realise that.”

With Ngannou fuelling speculation he might be open to a return to the UFC, White played down the chances even if it was to fight Jones.

“It’s Aspinall’s fight,” White said.

MMA icon Ben Askren is “unresponsive” in hospital after being struck down by severe pneumonia.

The former MMA and wrestling star infamously came out of retirement to face Jake Paul in a boxing match in 2021.

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Askren, a former Olympian, was active in MMA for over a decade.

News of his hospitalisation broke during UFC 316 in New Jersey on Saturday night.

Funky has not been active in the squared circle since his exhibition with Paul almost four years ago.

But he is fondly remembered in wrestling circles as one of the greatest grapplers of all time.

Askren, 40, is currently battling “a sudden and severe onset of pneumonia”.

His wife Amy penned a heartfelt update on her husband’s condition.

She wrote on Facebook: “You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something.

“He developed severe pneumonia, which came on very suddenly.

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“He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.

“We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace.

“We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully, so please refrain from discussing it with them for now.”

Fans were quick to send their well wishes to the Askren family.

Former UFC champ Henry Cejudo wrote on X: “Pray for Ben Askren.”

One fan wrote: “You got this Ben, keep fighting.”

While another commented: “Wishing the best for Ben Askren and his family. Ben was an innovative and creative wrestler in his prime and now he builds up some of the best wrestlers America has ever seen. The wrestling world owes a debt of gratitude to a man like him.”

He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.

Amy Askren

Askren began wrestling at the age of just 6.

He competed for the Missouri Tigers in college, twice becoming a D1 national champion.

Askren was a member of the 2008 US Olympics wrestling team, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Cuba’s Ivan Fundora on points.

Following his Olympic adventure, the Iowa-native transitioned into MMA.

He boasted 19 wins from 22 MMA pro fights, with his first loss coming in an infamous flying kick KO by Jorge Masvidal five seconds into their bout at UFC 239.

Askren’s highly publicised boxing bout with YouTuber Paul saw 500,000 PPV buys.

Paul, then aged 24, won the bout via TKO in one minute and 59 seconds of the first round.

With US President Donald Trump in attendance, Dvalishvili dominates challenger O’Malley in a third-round victory in New Jersey.

Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley effortlessly in the main event of UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey, securing a third-round modified choke in their rematch to retain the bantamweight championship.

With United States President Donald Trump watching from cageside on Saturday night, Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA) emphatically displayed his wrestling base to tire out the former champion and make an argument as one of the sport’s best bantamweights, perhaps of all time.

Dvalishvili, who won at 4:42 of the third round for his 13th consecutive victory, said he would welcome his next title defence against Cory Sandhagen (18-5 MMA), a winner of four of his last five fights.

“You’re the man, let’s go,” Dvalishvili said, indicating that he would be interested in fighting Sandhagen next.

O’Malley (18-3 MMA) fell to Dvalishvili last September by unanimous decision, relinquishing his title. O’Malley confirmed the loss is a minor setback, reassuring of a steady return.

“100 percent, thank you guys for coming out,” O’Malley said.

The women’s bantamweight title changed hands in the co-main event, as Kayla Harrison submitted Julianna Pena with a second-round kimura, a submission technique also known as the double wristlock or reverse keylock.

Harrison and Pena embraced in the Octagon afterwards, showing utmost class for one another after the 34-year-old controlled every aspect of the fight.

Harrison said during her post-fight interview that her weight cut was so draining on Thursday night that she “wanted to quit”, but it would have been a mistake in her eyes, given that most fighters in MMA do not win a UFC title.

Harrison (19-1 MMA) called out Pena’s (13-6 MMA) former rival, Amanda Nunes. Nunes (23-5 MMA) is a former two-division champion who retired in 2023. As time passed, she teased a comeback. It now seems inevitable, as Harrison and Nunes posed for a face-off and talked of a bout later this year, as the Prudential Center crowd beamed.

Kevin Holland kicked off the UFC 316 main card in style, securing a D’Arce choke over Vicente Luque at 1:03 of the second round.

Holland (28-13 MMA) has now won three of his last five, emphasising the need to remain a prominent welterweight contender. Luque (23-11-1 MMA), who resides in New Jersey via Brazil, has lost two of his last three.

Middleweight Joe Pyfer made good on his UFC return, defeating TUF alumnus Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-27, 30-27.

Pyfer (14-3 MMA) has won his last two outings, whereas Gastelum (19-10 MMA) is in the midst of a slump.

In the main event, Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili submitted American Sean O’Malley in the third round to retain his bantamweight title.

Dvalishvili beat O’Malley for the belt last year with a typically relentless display of grappling and mirrored the performance in the rematch.

Although O’Malley defended well in the second round, he was taken down early in the third and Dvalishvili never looked back, controlling the action on the ground before securing a north-south choke.

Victory was Dvalishvili’s second defence of his belt and extended his winning streak to 13, the second-longest in the UFC among active fighters.

Russia’s Islam Makhachev holds the longest with 15.

“I’m on top of the world. I came from nothing, I’m so grateful to inspire so many generations. It doesn’t matter what you have if you know where you’re going and you have a goal,” said Dvalishvili.

On the undercard, former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix suffered a unanimous decision defeat on his UFC debut by fellow American Mario Bautista.

Mix, who left the PFL in May after venting frustrations over a lack of fights, suffered his second defeat in 22 bouts while Bautista extended his winning streak to eight.

DONALD TRUMP has made a surprise appearance at UFC 316 – but this time Elon Musk was nowhere to be seen.

The President was cageside to watch Merab Dvalishvili’s title scrap with Sean O’Malley on Saturday night.

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Trump was flanked by UFC kingpin Dana White in a one-man entourage as he entered the arena in Newark, New Jersey.

He received loud cheers from the capacity crowd at the Prudential Center before taking his seat close to boxing icon Mike Tyson.

Trump shook hands with former NFL stars Will Compton and Taylor Lewan as he settled in to watch a packed main card.

Son Eric, daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner were also in the audience, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The 47th President arrived in New Jersey on Friday, where he stayed at his golf course in Bedminster.

Trump was on the end of a high five from Kevin Holland after his submission victory against fellow welterweight Vicente Luque.

And he later shared words of encouragement to Georgian star Dvalishvili following an epic end to the main event.

Trump’s appearance was also notable for the absence of former sidekick Elon Musk.

His relationship with the world’s richest man disintegrated earlier this week.

The former allies battled it out on social media after disagreeing on Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, with the President claiming Elon had “gone crazy”.

Musk, who is worth an estimated $330 billion, was a major contributor to Trump’s presidential campaign.

He reportedly spent $250 million in supporting the Republican’s race for the White House last year.

Musk accompanied Trump to his last UFC showing in April.

The President was given a thunderous reception as he entered the arena for UFC 314 in Miami, Florida.

But prior to Saturday’s action, Trump indicated his working relationship with Musk was irreparable.

“I’m too busy doing other things. I won an election in a landslide,” he said.

“I gave [Musk] a lot of breaks, long before this happened.

“I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him.”

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In the Octagon, it was a night to remember for Dvalishvili, who proved too strong for O’Malley in their main event rematch.

The reigning bantamweight champion secured his first-ever UFC submission following a brutal choke-out.

And he celebrated by vaulting out of the Octagon for a handshake and words with Trump.

The President also shook hands with a devastated O’Malley, who was able to leave the Octagon under his own steam after the choke.

“He was well trained, he was well prepared, and I knew that he was going to make changes,” Dvalishvili told reporters after the third round win.

“Every time I lost I made big changes and I learned from it.

“But I’m getting better and better. I wasn’t showing this technique [before] and I have more tools in my pocket I’m still working on, and then little by little I will show.

“Now it’s my time.”

Elsewhere on the main card, there were also wins for Kayla Harrison, Joe Pyfer, Holland, and Mario Bautista.

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THIS is the awkward moment UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov refused to shake the hand of CBS Sports presenter Kate Abdo.

Abdo was working for the broadcaster alongside the terrible trio of Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards for the Champions League final in Munich.

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The match ended in a record-breaking defeat as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter Milan 5-0.

The quartet was joined by special guests Khabib Nurmagomedov, and streamer IShowSpeed immediately after the final whistle.

Nurmagomedov embraced each member of the crew before Abdo, 43, held out her hand in a greeting.

However, the unbeaten UFC star declined the offer by holding his hand on his chest instead, with Abdo quickly reclining it and offering an apology as she welcomed him to the show.

The reason for this is due to the 36-year-old’s religious beliefs as a devout Sunni Muslim.

In Islam, it is a forbidden to touch a member of the opposite sex that they are not related to.

A similar incident occurred back in 2020 with fellow MMA fighter Cynthia Calvillo, who revealed that Nurmagomedov refused to directly train with her.

She explained to theScore: “It’s a little bit weird because of their religion… they won’t train with women.

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“(Khabib) is still showing technique and stuff like that. So I still get to watch it.

“But it doesn’t bother me … because they’re not really being directly rude to me.”

Fans on social media praised Abdo’s response to the awkward exchange with the Dagestani native.

One user said: “Mad respect to Kate for understanding afterwards and issuing an apology.”

Another said: “Massive respect to Kate for understanding Khabib’s decision and not making a fuss of it in front of other pundits.”

A third added: “Love how Khabib respectfully declined Kate’s handshake and she respected his approach. Love that from both of them.”

Once that hurdle was cleared, Abdo asked the retired UFC fighter who he was supporting tonight, revealing he was there in support of PSG – despite him previously describing himself as a Real Madrid fan.

In another crossover that nobody would have had on their Champions League bingo card, IShowSpeed was playfully confronted by Nurmagomedov about them possibly having a race or fight.

Carragher, who hilariously tried resorting to cheating when he lost a race against Speed – real name Darren Hawkins – asked Nurmagomedov: “Do you think you could beat Speed in a fight or a race?”

Nurmagomedov said he would be humble and conceded that Speed had the better of him in running, but declared he could easily outdo him in football IQ, before joking: “Don’t forget, between us there is nobody right now.”

Abdo then suggested that Richards, ever the brunt of a few jokes on the show, was the “arm wrestling champion” of CBS.

However, before the presenter – who married boxer Malik Scott last year – could finish her sentence, the ex-England international said: “No thank you.”

Before the match itself, Abdo was subbed out of presenting duties by colleague Anita Nneka Jones, joking she had “other friends waiting for me tonight”.

As Henry, Richards and Carragher groaned, Abdo pointed at Jones and added: “Look who’s coming!”

Carra shouted “Anita!” before screaming as footage showed Abdo’s pals David Beckham and Tom Cruise hanging out the Allianz Arena.

Abdo then waved as she walked off set, adding: “Bye, bye, bye.”

Richards asked “Is it a substitution then?” – with Abdo pausing.

The former Manchester City star then guffawed as Peter Schmeichel held the fourth official’s board to announce the substitution.

Richards turned to Jones and bellowed: “Finally some real funny in the studio.”